On January 29, 2018, was the world premiere of the highly anticipated Marvel Movie, Black Panther. The stars of the movie others who attended in order to support were dressed like royalty and were treated as such.

Instead of the titular red carpet, it was purple, to show that the Royal Family of Wakanda had truly arrived. Chadwick Boseman, T’Challa himself arrived in a sleek black car led by a group of his fierce warriors. The theme song played and when the King stepped out of the vehicle he was greeted by a drummer. Now that the arrival is out of the way, we can get onto the fashion.

Everyone who showed up at the event came to slay. We saw bright colors, like the stunning purple dress, Lupita Nyong’o wore, the yellow one-piece Angela Bassett rocked, the pink dress Danai Gurira looked absolutely amazing in. Last but not least, Donald Glover showed up in a tight orange suit. All the looks had regality to them with intricate patterns or jewelry which are inspired by traditional African garb.

One of my favorite looks of the night was Ms. Janelle Monae, who came through with a black dress with blue and white sleeves along with a stunning bold gold crown. Her looks at events are always fabulous but for this event, she took it to a whole new level.

I was so proud to see so many black and white actors/artists who stood in solidarity with the black excellence that was showcased as well as what the movie means to black people all over the world. For most who do not understand, Black Panther is just a black superhero. But for black folks (such as myself) the very idea of an African King, who rules a thriving country and is given these great powers to defend his people is extremely empowering.

For way too long the black hero has been seen as the sidekick, such as War Machine and Falcon; used for comic relief and who always seemed secondary to the rich, genius playboy or the man who was literally seen as a sign for all of America.

Having the Black Panther come out is not just about how he is a superhero or how he is black but granted that is why most of us are happy but it goes deeper than that. It is about equality, it is about showing someone be capable of more than what their skin color had barred them from doing. It is about being in a position where one can truly make a change.

Some more fashion, I lived for.

Issa Rae

Yara Shahidi

Amber Riley

Megan Good

Chloe & Halle Bailey